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Matching Wine with Seafood

Red Wine with Fish (Simon and Schuster) by David Rosengarten and Joshua Wesson, published in 1989, is among several accounts suggesting that the old rule of white wine with fish and red wine with meat was somewhat simplistic.

While white wine is generally more suitable than red wine with seafood, it is not because of color. The weight of the wine is a more important factor in matching wine with seafood. Seafood is normally lighter than red meat, requiring lighter wines, which tend to be white rather than red—but not always. Laurent Drouhin, whose family company Joseph Drouhin produces red and white wines in Burgundy and Oregon, puts it this way, at least with respect to Burgundian varietals (Chardonnay, Pinot Noir): “My grandfather used to say, ‘White fish and white meat with white wine. Red meat, red fish with red wine.’

The Perfect Pairing
The most common red wine with fish combination is Pinot Noir and salmon. Oregon Pinot Noir is often a better match than those from California, especially for the more flavorful wild salmon. I also like Oregon Pinot Gris (a white wine cousin of Pinot Noir), though Alsatian Pinot Gris has more richness and firmer acidity.

Grilled or seared tuna is often touted as holding up to big red wines. However, light- to medium-bodied reds work best, such as a California Pinot Noir or Moulin-a-Vent Beaujolais. Zinfandel and Australian Shiraz are more appropriate for spicier presentations. Ronnie MacQuarrie, chef at Southpark Seafood Grill & Wine Bar in Portland, Ore., recommends a Côtes du Rhône-Villages. But some whites also work well, including an Italian Pinot Grigio and St. Veran from Burgundy.

Another characteristic of seafood, especially shellfish (oysters in particular), is minerality. In Red Wine with Fish, Rosengarten and Wesson match three wines with raw oysters. Not surprisingly, the steely or flinty qualities of a French Chablis, the grapes for which are grown in calcium-rich limestone soil, was the best match for the oysters, whose shells are loaded with calcium.

Portuguese Vinho Verde, Loire Chenin Blanc, New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, Blanc de Blanc Champagne, Sancerre and Muscadet are all appropriate for raw clams and other raw seafood such as carpaccio, tartar, sushi and sashimi, as well as oysters. Another terrific wine with seafood is Austria’s Grüner Veltliner. Younger, lighter styles would be appropriate for raw shellfish as well as shellfish—which includes crab, mussels, shrimp, scallops and lobster—that is steamed or broiled. Sparkling wines such as Spanish Cava and Prosecco from Italy are also good choices.

For richer shellfish dishes such as those with butter, oil and cream, the weight of the wine needs to be cranked up a bit. Pouilly-Fume, for example, is a rounder, fuller Sauvignon Blanc than Sancerre. Riper wines also fit into this group, including Kabinett and Spätlese German Riesling, Alsatian Riesling, Pinot Gris and older Grüner Veltliner, which develops a Burgundian quality as it ages.

Less Oak, More Fish Friendly
Most white wines have less oak and considerably less tannin than red wines, which makes them more fish friendly. Wines with oak tend to be heavier and sweeter, two qualities not normally welcome with seafood. Tannin, the astringent substance from the skins, seeds and stems of grapes (as well as from newer oak barrels), adds structure and texture to red wines. But tannins can be harsh, especially when not counterbalanced by fat, which is why big, tannic red wines are fine with steak, lamb and duck, but not seafood.

Grilled fish offers one of the few opportunities to choose white wines with oak. Oak echoes the charred character that the grill (especially a charcoal grill) gives the fish. But these wines must still have the acidity that seafood often needs, which is why a squirt of lemon juice goes so well with many seafood dishes. Thus, the higher acidity of white wines makes them more appropriate with grilled seafood than red wines. Acidity is often a problem for California white wines, especially Chardonnays. French Meursault is much better. The richness that oak gives to Sauvignon Blanc makes the wine a more acceptable partner for grilled fish. So does a dose of Semillon, as is the case with Bordeaux whites and some Sauvignon Blancs from California.

If the seafood preparation has an ethnic bent, consider choosing wines that reflect that particular country or region. For example, with zarzuela, the Spanish shellfish stew, I suggest a white from the Rueda region of Spain. Based on the local Verdejo grape (sometimes augmented with Viura and Sauvignon Blanc) these wines are richer and spicier than most Spanish white wines. MacQuarrie pairs the Southern Italian Feudi di San Gregorio with oven-roasted mussels in a fennel sausage-anisette marinara sauce. For Italian shrimp scampi, Pinot Grigio and Verdicchio are wonderful.

However, it’s also fun to cross cultural lines. Moschofilero is Greek wine from the grape of the same name. It is quite perfumed like Viognier or Muscat with a spicy quality that lends itself to a variety of non-Greek cuisines, especially those from Latin America and Asia.

Sometimes the wine of choice is neither red nor white—but rosé. Bouillabaisse, the legendary fish stew of Southern France, demands a Provençal or Southern Rhône rosé. With paella, the equally famous dish from Spain, try a fine rosé from Navarra or Rueda.

There are plenty of fish in the sea. Today, there are plenty of wines—of all colors—to match them.

Sam Gugino is Taste columnist for Wine Spectator and can be reached through his website, www.samcooks.com.